The Start — A Broken Bottle, A Broken Mindset

Saturday, 6:00 AM. The race begins. Within 5 minutes, I’m already on the phone with my fiancée — angry, frustrated. My bottle broke, leaking water down my right side, soaking me in the freezing morning air.

It felt unfair. Wrong. Why me? Why now? That’s how quickly the victim mindset sneaks in. You don’t plan for it, but it’s there the moment something doesn’t go your way.

But the mountain doesn’t care. By the end of the first hour, I had already climbed over 1,000 meters in altitude. There was no room to complain. My lungs and legs demanded every ounce of focus. The bottle didn’t matter anymore.

➡️ First lesson: Complaining is wasted energy. The mountain teaches you that immediately.

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Context: What Led to This Race

To understand Engelberg, you need to understand the weeks before:

• Just 2.5 weeks earlier, I had a DNF at 85 km in the Swiss Alps 160.

• Then I flew to the US, jet-lagged, working long days.

• Returned to Europe, and just 3 days later, stood at the start line of another 100 km ultra with over 5,000 altitude meters on technical mountain terrain.

This was not ideal preparation. My body was still recovering. My mind was tired. Everything screamed “you’re not ready.”

And that’s exactly why I wanted to be there. Because ultras are never about comfort — they are about putting yourself in impossible positions and asking: What now?

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The First Breaking Point — 15 km In

At just 15 km, I wanted to quit. Cold. Wet. Fatigue setting in early. My back tight. My energy dropping.

This wasn’t even close to the halfway point — yet the thought of stopping already wrapped itself around my mind.

In the Swiss Alps, that voice came at 35–40 km. Here it was faster. More aggressive.

➡️ But here’s the crucial point:

Wanting to quit is not quitting.

It’s feedback. It’s the mind showing you where your confidence stands in this exact moment. But unless you act on it, it’s just noise.

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The Truth About Quitting: 40–50%

Here’s the reality:

• Most people quit not at 90% or 95% of their capacity.

• They quit at 40, 45, maybe 50%.

• They think they’re at their limit, but it’s not the body. It’s the mindset.

The body has so much more to give. The lungs, the heart, the legs — they’re capable of enduring more than we can imagine. It’s the mind that says “stop” far too early.

That’s why these races matter. They expose how much of your life is dictated by a false ceiling created by your own thoughts.

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The Mind’s Tricks — At 97 Kilometers

Fast-forward almost 12+ hours into the race. I had covered 97 kilometers. My body was battered, my feet blistered, my legs heavy.

And suddenly, the quitting voice returned:

👉 “You’re too weak.”

👉 “You can’t continue.”

👉 “You’re not finishing.”

This wasn’t new. I’d heard it at 15 km. I’d heard it in Swiss Alps. But here’s what struck me: the mind plays its most powerful tricks at the edge of victory.

Just when you’re about to succeed, it tries to rob you. Not because you can’t continue — but because the mind fears the unknown beyond the finish line.

That was the second breakthrough:

➡️ Don’t believe every thought when it matters most.

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Step by Step — The Ultra Mindset

When everything feels overwhelming, the only way forward is to break it down:

1. One step at a time.

2. One aid station at a time.

3. One problem at a time.

• Cold? → Keep moving.

• Blisters? → Tape them later.

• Pain in the back? → Breathe deeper.

• Hungry? → Eat watermelon.

Five problems at once will crush you. One problem at a time keeps you alive.

Sometimes you don’t fix the problem — you just carry it until it loses power. That’s part of the game.

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The Flow State — Thriving, Not Surviving

Around 65 km, something clicked. After nine hours, I found myself too fast, too light, too present.

Not because the suffering disappeared. But because I stopped fighting it. Cold, fatigue, anger, hunger — they were still there. But I wasn’t resisting them anymore.

➡️ Discipline gets you this far. Flow carries you further.

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Preparation for Both Outcomes

I went into the race prepared for both endings:

• If I quit: I train harder.

• If I finish: I recover smarter.

The outcome doesn’t matter. The process continues. Success and failure are temporary. Growth is permanent.

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Alone vs. Team

In the first 30 km, I ran alone. I wanted to face myself — to see when the quitting voice would show up. And it did.

But ultras are not solo journeys. My team was at aid stations, giving me fuel, encouragement, accountability.

Crossing a finish line alone is victory. Crossing it with a team is meaning.

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Authenticity — My Body, My Way

I don’t look like a typical ultrarunner. I carry too much muscle mass. Heavy legs. Strong upper body.

But that’s my point:

➡️ You don’t need to look the part to succeed.

I don’t want to shrink into a stereotype. I want to stay strong, keep my push-ups, pull-ups, my power — and still run ultras. Authenticity is more important than fitting in.

That’s my unique path. That’s my USP.

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Nutrition — Fueling Through the Lows

Ultras taught me something society often gets wrong:

• Sugar, carbs, quick energy — these are survival.

• Without constant fuel, you collapse.

I learned to respect aid stations. Not rushing through them, but taking a moment to eat, recharge, connect with my team. That time “lost” actually saved me in the long run.

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Pain and Focus

Pain is inevitable. Cold, blisters, fatigue — they never leave.

But focus is a choice.

👉 Focus on the blister, and the blister grows.

👉 Focus on the cold, and you shiver harder.

👉 Focus on the step ahead, and you move forward.

The words I repeated:

• “I’m cold, but I’ll be okay.”

• “I’m in pain, but I can keep going.”

That shift made the difference.

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Key Lessons from Engelberg 100k

• Most people quit at 40–50%. The mind quits long before the body does.

• The quitting voice always returns. At 15 km, at 97 km, even at the edge of success.

• Don’t believe every thought. Especially in the hardest moments.

• Break problems down. One issue at a time.

• Discipline is necessary. Flow is freedom.

• Authenticity is power. Don’t become someone you’re not.

• Teamwork gives meaning. Victory shared is victory multiplied.

• Pain is temporary. Focus is choice.

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Final Reflection

I finished 104 km in Engelberg. Not because I was the most prepared. Not because my body was perfect. But because I refused to believe the lies my mind told me — at 15 km, at 97 km, and everywhere in between.

➡️ The truth: Most people quit at 40–50% of their capacity.

➡️ Even if you push past that, the mind will attack again at 90, 95, 97%.

➡️ The only way through: Keep moving. Step by step. Problem by problem. Aid station to aid station.

That’s what an ultra is. That’s what life is.